31 May 2012

World War Z is one of the more famous zombie books that I could have picked to read. It's written by Max Brooks (son of comedian Mel Brooks) and is a follow-up to his hugely successful The Zombie Survival Guide and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks.

29 May 2012

There are certain films that take me back to my childhood... where I can almost smell the air and feel the sun on my face. Enter the Dragon is one of these films. I honestly couldn't tell you the first time that I saw it but I do know that it wasn't at the Pictures. More likely it was on video... on Betamax! Remember that old thing?

It took a supportive push from Gavin MacMillan to make me finally take the plunge. He told me to "man up and get the frets on!﻿" Thank you Gavin. I gone and blinkin' done it... and here's how I did it...

26 May 2012

Time for an update on the Electric Ukulele Build. In my last post I talked about how I started to make the neck. You will remember that I left you on tenterhooks as I revealed that I'd controversially glued the fretboard to the neck prior to fitting the frets. I still haven't mustered the courage to fit the frets but this doesn't mean that I haven't been busy... a lot's happened since then. In this post I return to the body to apply some much needed finishing touches.

25 May 2012

I have a quick film review for you... and for a change, this time it's about zombies! Wahay!

Run, Forrest, Run!
The Dead, Anchor Bay 2010

Picture this...

It's deepest darkest Africa. The zombie apocalypse has kicked off and those who can are evacuating via any means possible. We join Lieutenant Brian Murphy as he boards the last flight out of "somewhere" in West Africa. But get this... things don't quite run according to plan; The plane ditches off the coast killing most on board. Of the few that make it ashore, only Murphy has the good fortune to avoid a welcome party of living dead. He soon finds himself on the run and hopelessly lost. If the heat doesn't get him, the zombies surely will! OMG!

18 May 2012

I know that I've only just posted some ukulele designs, but I've got a few more up my sleeve. This time it's mainly about the shape. See if you recognise the inspiration for these. If you've got a favourite, why not drop me a comment...

17 May 2012

Every now and again I like to knock together the odd custom ukulele design. It's all just a bit of fun. I usually do it as a tribute to something that has piqued my interest. Today's set is inspired my a few of my favourite films. It all started with Star Wars...

I give my usual disclaimer: these are not real ukuleles! These designs are mainly a mashup of poster or film art. Some are purely a figment of my imagination! I hope you like!

16 May 2012

I've just had one of those happy freaky moments where things came together for no apparent reason.

You're travelling to another dimension, a dimension
not only of sight and sound... but of mind.
A journey into a wondrous land, whose boundaries
are only that of the imagination... you're entering...
the Ukulele Zone

6 May 2012

Hot on the heels of my last post where I dug out some percussion patents, I'm now enjoying some of the patents that have been made in the name of ukuleles. There's a real mixture of ideas and styles here. Spot the ones that have 'influenced' some of the modern ukes that we have available today. Enjoy!

I stirred a bit of a hornets' nest in my recent post where I demoed some musical shakers I'd knocked together with my kids. They were inspired by the idea of the Rhythm Ring (Trademark) only we made them out of household items that we had laying around our home. It was all meant to be a bit of fun, but since making that post I've had some pretty horrible messages from someone claiming to be part of the Rhythm Ring company. For the record, I won't be mass-producing the shakers shown in my videos. In fact, the shakers are no more! So that's the end of that!

If I've learnt anything from this whole experience it is the wonder that is the Google Patent search. Who'd have thought that there are so many patents filed! I love the ideas - there's some real crazy stuff - but I'm also taken with the pictures and the language of the patents. Here's a run down of some of the shaker-related patents and a few others that stand out for different reasons.

# of cats harmed in the making of this blog

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